Mark Sanford: Sex, lies and back to Congress

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has won a special election for his old U.S. House seat, withstanding an extra-marital affair, a days-long disappearance to meet his mistress in Argentina, a lie about where he had gone, a divorce, a trespass charge brought by his former wife, and the uncomfortable first meeting on primary night between his teenage boys and mistress-turned-fiancee.

By defeating Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch in a strongly Republican district, Sanford joins a long line of public sinners who have proven there ARE second acts in American politics.

Some examples of Americans’ new allowance for past indiscretions include:

– Former President Bill Clinton, who lied about sexual relations with a White House intern, has popularity ratings higher than President Obama and is the Democrats’ most popular campaigner in America. He came through Washington for Jay Inslee last fall. Hillary Clinton has a massive lead in Democrats’ preference as their party’s 2016 presidential nominee.

– Idaho’s Republican Gov. Butch Otter has been politically unassailable despite a past DUI conviction, a not-very-believable defense having to do with cowboy boots, and his divorce from the daughter of the state’s richest man.

– Louisiana Sen. David Vitter had his name show up on phone records of Pamela Martin & Associates, a company run by the “D.C. Madam.” With wife by his side, Vitter — a Republican who had voted to impeach President Clinton — asked the people of the Pelican State for forgiveness. They re-elected him handily in 2010.

– Ex-Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Jr. was busted (and filmed) smoking crack cocaine, with the memorable words, “The bitch set me up.” After what turned out to be light punishment, Barry won another term as D.C. mayor. He is still a member of the City Council in our nation’s capital city.

The mistress, tthe trip to Argentina, the lie about the trip, the divorce, the unlawful entry charge — and now this guy is back in Congress. Mark Sanford.

– Ex-New York Rep. Anthony Weiner quit Congress in disgrace in 2011 after sending out tweets of his private parts, claiming his Twitter account had been hacked, being ostracized by House leaders and becoming fodder for late-night comic,s including his friend, Jon Stewart. He recently surfaced, wife by his side — on the cover of the New York Times Magazine — and is pondering a run for mayor of New York. One early poll shows him second in the Democratic field.

Others, notably 2004-2008 Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, have seen their careers, reputations and lives implode after evidence of marital infidelity — in Edwards’ case, a baby daughter. Three Republican House members, in recent years, have hastily departed Congress after exposure (or pending exposure) of hidden gay lifestyles.

Barack Obama was able to waltz into the U.S. Senate in 2004, after messy divorces, claims of spousal abuse, and evidence of kinky sexual appetites blew away a wealthy Democratic primary opponent and a wealthy would-be Republican challenger.

But the end of a marriage, or more than one marriage — even the blowup of a marriage — is no longer a death knell in U.S. politics. A trio of Northwest politicians have been through the end of two marriages while in office: They are Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, six-term Montana Sen. Max Baucus, who is retiring; and Washington’s U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott.